Method of and apparatus for manufacturing the plates of plate-type heaters and the like



May 5, 1970 P. ORTH 3,509,753

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING THE PLATES 0F PLATE-TYPEHEATERS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 5, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 5, 1970 P.ORTH 3,509,753

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING THE PLATES 0F PLATE-TYPEHEATERS AND THE LIKE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 5, 1967 May 5, 1970 P.ORTH 3,509,753

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING THE PLATES 0F PLATE-TYPEHEATERS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 5, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 F/g, 4 Fig 5United States Patent 3,509,753 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MANU-FACTURING THE PLATES 0F PLATE-TYPE HEATERS AND THE LIKE Peter Orth, 7Montausstrasse, Opladen, Germany Filed Feb. 3, 1967, Ser. No. 613,923Int. Cl. B21d 13/04 US. Cl. 72-177 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREThere is provided a method and apparatus for making plates of plate-typeheaters and radiators, the plates characterized by having transverselyextending ribs and longitudinally extending ribs or channels and inwhich the transverse ribs are rolled out of the plane of the metal inone direction and the longitudinal channels are rolled out of the planeof the metal in the other direction.

This invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for manufacturingthe plates of plate-type heaters and radiators, the plates havingtransversely extending ribs, from strip sheet metal. The invention isconcerned with a rolling method and apparatus for the production of suchplates.

For manufacturing the plates of plate-type heaters having transverselyextending ribs, presses have been used, through which presses the stripsheet metal travels step by step and is deformed step by step in adeep-drawing process. A continuous working operation has hitherto onlybeen feasible with plate-type heaters having longitudinally extendingribs or channels. The reason for this is that, in the case of plateshaving longitudinally and transversely extending ribs or channels,continuous rolling of the plates cannot allow a sufiicient compensationfor the very different deformations of the longitudinally andtransversely extending ribs and lateral channels, necessary forpractical use of the known method. Known machines for rolling plateheaters or radiators are not generally able effectively to compensatefor the different deformations of the metal sheets.

An object of the invention is to make it possible for the plates ofplate-type heaters and radiators having transversely extending ribs orchannels to be manufactured in a continuous rolling operation.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided amethod of rolling the plates of plate-type heaters and radiators fromstrip sheet metal, the plates having transversely extending andlongitudinally extending channels or ribs, the method comprising forminglongitudinal channels simultaneously with transverse ribs in the sheetmetal by rolling out the ribs in one direction away from the plane ofthe sheet metal and the channels in the other direction away from theplane of the sheet metal, the channels being deep-drawn to asubstantially greater depth than that of the ribs, so that the chan nelscompensate for the longitudinal contraction of the sheet metal occurringin the plates during the rolling of the transverse ribs. By this means,a one-side or unbalanced deformation and thus an undesirable warping ofthe plates is avoided in a simple manner, since the deformations of theplates which are simultaneously produced in this way and extend inopposite directions substantially cancel out any irregularities. Withthe previously known pressing operations, on the other hand, themanufacturer has generally been content to press the ribs to be deepenedinto the metal sheets, the nature of the pressing operation making itpossible for the remaining part of the sheet to be kept flat.

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According to another aspect of the present invention, there is providedan apparatus for rolling the plates of plate-type heaters and radiatorsfrom strip sheet metal, the plates having transversely extending andlongitudinally extending channels or ribs, the apparatus comprising twooppositely rotatable rollers having interengaging ribs or rings andcorresponding recesses or depressions, the first of the two rollershaving around its periphery a series of projecting ribs for producingtransversely extending ribs in the sheet metal, and having around itsperiphery annu lar depressions which are substantially wider and deeperthan said ribs and which serve for receiving longitudinally extendingchannels formed in the sheet metal, the second of the two rollers havingaround its periphery a series of recesses corresponding to andengageable with said projecting ribs in said first roller, and havingaround its periphery annular projecting rings for producing thelongitudinally extending channels in the sheet metal, said ringscorresponding to and being engageable with said annular depressions insaid first roller. In this way, it is possible by simple means and in acontinuous rolling operation to manufacture a plate which is suitablefor a plate-type heater or radiator and which requires only to be cut tothe desired length. With the apparatus according to the invention, therecesses or depressions formed in the rollers are made substantiallylarger than the ribs or rings which engage in them, so that no lateralpinching or squeezing of the metal sheets occurs, but there is obtaineda gradual transition between the channels and ribs in the sheet and theremainder of the metal sheet. The rings, ribs, recesses and depressionsare so formed that the channels and ribs of the sheet are approximatelyequally and oppositely produced in relation to a common central planewhich corresponds to the original plane of the metal sheet.

The rollers are preferably arranged vertically one above the other andare advantageously exchangeable, so that difierent profiles anddifferent widths of metal sheets can be worked. In addition, a laterallyadjustable guide device for the metal sheets can be provided after thedeep-drawing rollers in the region of the deep-drawn longitudinalchannels. This guide device should be adaptable to the diiferent widthsof metal sheets without any difficulty. The guide device can also beused at the same time for completing the deep-drawing of the lateralchannels.

One constructional example of an apparatus according to the inventionfor rolling the plates of plate-type heaters or radiators, is shown inthe drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus,

FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof, and

FIG. 3 is on a larger scale a plan view of a part of a metal sheetshaped according to the invention.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are section views of the sheet portion of FIG. 3.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are on an enlarged scale sectional views of particularworking rollers.

Referring firstly to FIGS. 1 and 2, the rolling apparatus 1 for makingthe plates 2 (FIG. 3) of plate-type heaters and radiators comprises tworollers 3 and 4 arranged vertically one above the other, the rollersbeing mounted in bearing blocks 5 and 6, respectively, in the frame ofthe apparatus so that they can be removed vertically. A knownsheet-guiding device 7 is arranged before the two rollers 3 and 4, withrespect to the intended working direction, and another guiding deviceSis provided after the rollers.

The upper roller 3 has on its periphery a plurality of projecting ribs9, which are accommodated in somewhat larger recesses 10 in the lowerroller 4 during the actual rolling operation, as can be seen from FIG.1.

The recesses distributed over the periphery of the lower roller 4 are atleast so much wider and deeper than the ribs 9 of the upper roller 3that the metal sheets to be shaped can be pressed without hindrance intothe recesses. The upper roller 3 has a profiled recess 11 at each of itstwo ends, and the two recesses can be engaged by correspondingprojecting rings 12 of the lower roller 4.

The guiding device 8 provided on the rear portion of the apparatus 1consists essentially of upper and lower lateral rollers 13 and 14, whichgrip the edges of the rolled and profiled metal sheets and thereby alignthe latter. The rollers 13 and 14 are arranged on common support 15 andcan be moved and adjusted relatively to one another together with thesesupports on transverse rods 16 and 17 in order to be able to be adaptedto the width of the metal sheets being worked. The rollers 3 and 4 aremounted to be replaceable, so that rollers of different Widths can beused.

The completed profile of a rolled metal sheet 2 can be seen from FIG. 3.By means of the ribs 9 and the recesses 10 of the rollers 3 and 4,transversely extending depressions 18 are rolled into the sheets, whilechannels 19 which are drawn in the opposite direction from the platesand extend longitudinally at the side are produccd by means of theannular recesses and protruberances 11 and 12 of the rollers. Due to thefact that the metal sheet has been shaped in two different directionsabout its mean plane 20 by deep-drawing, particularly good strengthproperties are obtained and accumulations of material on one side areavoided.

Between the rollers 3 and 4 and the guiding device 8, two roller sets 21and 22 are arranged one after the other on each side of the apparatus,which rollers serve to complete the deep-drawing of the lateral channels19 of the plates 2. By the first roller set 21, i.e. the deepdrawingroller set," the metal sheet, as is usual with deep-drawing, isinitially shaped to beyond the neces sary final dimension, and, at thesame time, the surface of sheet is smoothed; the following set ofrollers 22, i.e. the upsetting roller set, upsets the metal sheet backto the required final dimension.

For this purpose, each deep-drawing roller set 21 consists of twoprofiled inter-engaging rollers 23 and 24. The upper roller 23 isprovided with circumferential recess 25 having an inwardly archedconcave bottom face and an outwardly sloping lateral face 27. The lowerroller 24 is provided with a correspondingly shaped profile ring 28having an outwardly arched convex circumferential face 29 and a slopinglateral face 36. With each of these rollers 23 and 24, a lateral channel19 of the metal sheet 2 is worked by deep-drawing.

Each upsetting roller set 22 consists of similarly interengaging rollers31 and 32. However, the upper roller 31 is provided with a recess 32which is less deep than the recess 25 of the roller 23 and the lowerroller 32 is provided with a profile ring 34 which is less extendingthan the profiled ring 28 of the roller 24. The recess 33 has a flatbottom face and the profile ring 34 has a cylinder-shapedcircumferential face 36. Between each of these rollers 31 and 32, alateral channel 19 of the metal sheet 2 is upset back to the requiredfinal dimension and the surfaces thereof are smoothed.

As the rollers 13 and 14, the roller sets 21 and 22 can be adapted tothe varying widths of the metal sheets being worked.

What I claim is:

1. A method of rolling the plates of plate-type heaters and radiatorsfrom strip sheet metal, the plates having transversely extending andlongitudinally extending channels or ribs, the method comprising forminglongitudinal channels simultaneously with transverse ribs in the sheetmetal by rolling out the ribs in one direction away from the plane ofthe sheet metal and the channels in the other direction away from theplate of the sheet metal,

the channels being deep-drawn to a substantially greater depth than thatof the ribs and to a substantially greater depth than necessary and thenare upset back to the desired final dimension, so that the channelscompensate for the longitudinal contraction of the sheet metal occurringin the plates during the rolling of the transverse ribs.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinally extendingchannels are formed near the edges of the strip sheet metal.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the channels at first arerolled out together with the ribs, then separately are deep-drawn to asubstantially greater extent than the desired. final dimension andthereafter are upset back to the desired final dimension.

4. Apparatus for rolling the plates of plate-type heat ers and radiatorsfrom strip sheet metal, the plates having transversely extending andlongitudinally extending channels or ribs, the apparatus comprising twooppositely rotatable rollers having interengaging ribs or rings andcorresponding recesses or depressions, the first of the two rollershaving around its periphery a series of projecting rib for producingtransversely extending ribs in the sheet metal, and having around itsperiphery annular depressions which are substantially wider and deeperthan said annular depressions and which serve for receivinglongitudinally extending channels formed in the sheet metal, the secondof the two rollers having around it periphery a series of recessescorresponding to and engageable with said projecting ribs in said firstroller, and having around its periphery annular projecting rings forproducing the longitudinally extending channels in the sheet metal, saidrings corresponding to and being engageable with said annulardepressions in said first roller, and a laterally adjustable guidedevice for the edges of the sheet metal disposed after the rollers withreference to the direction of operative travel of the sheet metal.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said annular depressions andannular projecting rings are formed near the ends of said first andsecond rollers, respectively.

6. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the rollers are disposedvertically one above the other.

7. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the rollers are arranged tobe exchangeable.

8. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said guide device comprisesrollers, the working surfaces of which are formed for completing thedeep-drawing operation of the longitudinally extending lateral channelsof the plates.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the guiding device compriseat least three sets of rollers, the upper roller of the first roller setof the guiding device has a circumferential recess provided with aconcave bottom face and an outwardly sloping lateral face, the lowerroller of said first roller set has a correspondingly shaped profilering with a convex circumferential face and a sloping lateral face, theupper roller of the second roller set of said guiding device has acircumferential recess provided with a flat bottom face and the lowerroller of said second roller set has a circumferential cylinder shapedface, the recess of the upper roller of the first roller set beingdeeper and the profile ring of the lower roller of said roller set beingmore extended than the recess and profile ring of the rollers of thesecond and further sets of rollers.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,631,557 3/1953 Larkin 72l962,370,702 3/1945 Yoder 72-177 FOREIGN PATENTS 637,660 6/1960 GreatBritain.

MILTON S. MEHR, Primary Examiner

